Multiscale modeling for polymer systems of industrial interest

Atomistic-based simulations such as molecular mechanics (MM), molecular dynamics (MD), and Monte Carlo-based methods (MC) have come into wide use for materials design. Using these atomistic simulation tools, one can analyze molecular structure oil the scale of 0.1-10 nm. Although molecular structures can be studied easily and extensively by these atom-based simulations, it is less realistic to predict structures defined on the scale of 100-1000 nm with these methods. For the morphology on these scales, mesoscopic modeling techniques such as the dynamic mean field density functional theory (Mesodyn) and dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) are now available as effective simulation tools. Furthermore, it is possible to transfer the simulated mesoscopic structure to finite element modeling tools (FEM) for calculating macroscopic properties for a given system of interest. In this paper, we present a hierarchical procedure for bridging the gap between atomistic and macroscopic modeling passing through mesoscopic simulations. In particular, we will discuss the concept of multiscale modeling, and present examples of applications of multiscale procedures to polymer-organoclay nanocomposites. Examples of application of multiscale modeling to immiscible polymer blends and polymer-carbon nanotubes systems will also be presented. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.